25 Random Things About Me...

1. I start each day sipping a mug of Folger’s medium roast coffee with Coffemate Vanilla Caramel creamer, at which time I also pop my daily dose of synthroid. Without these, I’m a zombie…and I’m crabby. I really don’t know which is worse.

2. I married my high school sweetheart. He was a funny, freckled-face redhead (17 yrs old). And I was a nervous, frizzy-haired New Girl (15 yrs old). He always made me laugh in the lunchroom. At Christmastime, he gave me an oversized teddy bear that was doused in cologne (I still have it), and he asked me to be his girlfriend. I said no, because I wasn’t allowed to date until I turned 16. He waited! 6 months later, he took me on my first date. We celebrated my Sweet 16th birthday @ Medieval Times. The rest is history…it’s sappy, I know!

3. I vividly remember the exact moment I realized I was in love with Ryan. About 2 years into dating, we were driving in his red Geo Tracker, and he randomly busted out singing the theme song to The Wonder Years, “What would you do if I sang out a tune? Would you stand up and walk out on me? Lend me your ear and I’ll sing you a song. I’ll try not to sing out of key…” He meant it to be funny. It made me melt into a puddle of goo.

4. I’m very proud of my heritage. My paternal grandparents lived a life dedicated to ministry. They planted numerous churches in several southern states. But it’s my maternal grandmother that holds my highest esteem! A native born Dominican, growing up under a stern dictator, she quickly worked her way up thru school and university to find herself a place in government. Before she turned 30yrs old, she was put in charge of the dept of social services for the entire country! She then married an American preacher, and moved to the states where she raised a family, while keeping a hand in various types of ministries. Today, she is an international evangelist, sharing the good news of Jesus to Latin countries. She is a respected religious icon in her native country. In honor of her amazing legacy, I named my daughter after my sweet "abuelita," Marina.

5. Since I’m on the topic of child-naming, I’ll mention here that my husband took the liberty of choosing names for our 2 sons. And since I love my husband so much (and I’m such a gr8 wife…ahem!) I agreed with his choices. Mark Salomon is named after the lead singer of one of our fave bands, Stavesacre. And Reese Alan is named after Reese Roper from another fave band, Five Iron Frenzy. The Alan part is Ryan’s and Papa Bill’s middle name.

6. Some of my favorite dates I’ve enjoyed with Ryan over the years=Walking along the Naperville Riverwalk while sipping Funky Monkeys from Java & Juice; Playing on hillbilly mini-golf courses on warm summer nights…complete with 80s love songs blaring in the background; Splitting a chocolate tall cake @ Ruby Tuesdays; Catching a late night movie…which means splitting the popcorn, soda & Twizzler combo; Celebrating our 1st and 2nd anniversaries with fondue @ the Melting Pot…Rye even had a bouquet of roses waiting @ our table when we arrived; Chomping on chips w/ conqueso and BBQ wings @ the bar area at Chili’s while watching a football game. There’s something so electric about corporate cheering w/ a bunch of strangers; Yet, even more exhilarating than that was spending a weekend in Indy and catching a live Colts game! Goosebumps, people, goosebumps. We had ‘em for weeks!

7. I love the written and spoken word. I guess that’s pretty obvious, seeing how all of my answers have turned out to be a paragraph long. LOL. But, to me, writing is an art form. Like clay in the hands of a potter. Or a paintbrush in the grip of an artist. I love to create & shape both characters & environment using descriptive words. I’m amazed by authors who can pen their thoughts onto paper so creatively and effectively that I can virtually see, hear, or even smell the location they are describing. I am going to begin a 2yr writing course this summer through the Christian Writer’s Guild. My goal is to be a published author soon after I complete my studies. Now, when I pass by neatly stocked bookshelves @ bookstores, I dream of the day I will see my own thoughts and creations, bound & published, and waiting to be purchased by the avid reader…

8. I’m much more comfortable speaking in front of a huge crowd than I am speaking one-on-one with an acquaintance. Chalk it up to insecurity, but I feel like people can see right through me to that very insecurity. And I struggle with small talk. I can’t think of what to say. So it usually ends up being something embarrassing.

9. At the same time, I thrive on stimulating conversation. If a person is intellectually sharp, quick-witted, or willing to share rich experiences…I will plunge right in and be glued to the conversation…that is, until something more stimulating comes along. Then you've lost me... (blush)

10. My radio is set to political talk radio. It provides me with the stimulating conversation I crave when my day is otherwise filled with 3yr-old whining and correction.

11. I love roller coasters! I love the upside down, loopedy-loop, corkscrew kind of rides…but I absolutely despise giant drops. One try @ Raging Bull was enough for this woman.

12. I really can’t tell you what my natural hair color is. We can look back on old photos and speculate. But my hair has been dyed so many colors, your guess is as good as mine.

13. When I turned 18yrs old, my older sister took me to a tattoo parlor. She got her belly button pierced. I got my tongue pierced. Both of us removed our uncomfortable *bling* within 3 mos. So much for being “cool.”

14. We are a Disney family! Big time! Ryan grew up vacationing there almost yearly. And now as a couple, we have visited 5 times! Our favorite resort is the Disney Caribbean. We’ve also stayed at the Port Orleans & the Pop Culture resorts. If you ever have questions planning for a Disney vacay…we’ll gladly share what we know!

15. Speaking of vacationing, some of our destinations=Disney World (already mentioned); Wisconsin Dells. Ryan’s parents owned a cabin on a lake for several years, so we’d spend many summer weekends there. We’ve also enjoyed some of the Dells’ resorts: the Wilderness Lodge, Kalahari, and Mount Olympus (that one changes its name every few years); Hillbilly tent camping @ a Jellystone park. (C’mon, we had to do it at least once! Our kids would be deprived if we hadn’t); Weekend getaways for Ryan & me in Indianapolis, downtown Chicago, and @ a quaint little inn in Geneva; Branson, MO (if you’ve ever been there….’nuf said); Corpus Christie, Texas. Wow, the beaches are amazing…but the driving is scary; Illinois State Beach Resort. You walk out of your hotel and are literally steps away from the beaches of Lake Michigan. Beautiful; Salt Lake City, Utah. Boy, you don’t realize how flat the Midwest really is until you fly over those gorgeous mountains! And climbing the mountains…completely exhilarating; And finally, my favorite vacation was our 5yr anniversary cruise to the Bahamas. First time cruising for both of us. And first time Ryan and I danced in a salsa club on the boat. Haha. I still have the red mini skirt…..

16. I seriously fall more and more in love with my Rye-bread everyday. Yeah, sometimes I wanna strangle him. And sometimes he wants to cut my tongue out. But other than that, we are awfully happy. (choke, choke) No, seriously, he makes me laugh til my side splits. And I love to see him make other people laugh too. Even though he uses the same jokes he’s been telling for 10yrs. Which happen to be the same jokes his father has told for about 30yrs. Aye! It never gets old.

17. Ryan has trained us up to be a movie-quoting family. Whenever the opportunity presents itself, we respond to a situation using movie quotes. The flicks we imitate most are Naked Gun, Princess Bride, Young Frankenstein, Liar Liar & Shrek. I know there are others…but those definitely take the cake. “Taffeta, darling, taffeta!”

18. When I was in junior high, I dreamed of being Anne of Green Gables. The braids, the bare feet, and (of course) the handsome Gilbert Blithe!

19. Growing up, my family moved so much, I attended 9 different schools. I think that’s why I’m insecure in friendships. I think that’s why I fear being left out in group settings. And I KNOW that’s why I suck in history class. Hmph!

20. I cannot stand up on ice skates. And I had a horrible experience w/ skiing (age 13). So, now I refuse to do either.

21. As a teenager, I was blessed to be able to participate in several missions trips. 7th grade=our youth group traveled to ghetto Birmingham, Alabama. We teamed up with Habitat for Humanity, painting run down homes and reaching out to inner city kids; 8th grade=again, our youth group traveled to Miami, Florida to help clean up after Hurricane Andrew. The devastation was incredible and I walked away forever impacted; 9th grade=I traveled with a different youth group to an Indian reservation in northern New York State. We put on VBS for local children, did some cleanup around the church building, viewed the Niagara Falls from the Canada side, and hit Cedar Point Amusement Park during the drive home. A lot less impacting than the previous trip; 11th grade=El Salvador missions trip. This trip required major mental and spiritual preparation. We worked with King’s Castle ministries to reach a country devastated by civil war and major earthquake damage. The poverty among families was heart wrenching. It completely blew our minds! But the number of hearts receptive to the gospel was so inspiring. And the fact that God used us as His tool to reach those hurting people…well, that was completely humbling.

22. We spend our evenings during the summer and fall…sitting on the football field, watching our little athlete practice w/ his team. And we spend our weekends on the bleachers, cheering our hearts out for him! And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

23. The next trip I hope we take is to San Francisco. My abuela Marina, along with many of my other relatives, lives right there in the bay area, and I’ve been wanting to visit them for ages. One of my very best friends lives down in Los Angeles. Maybe we can make a stop there before heading home?? Oh yeah, another best friend of mine lives right outside of Denver, Colorado. I guess that would be a stopover too. Aye! No wonder we haven’t taken this trip yet!

24. My Mom has made it a habit to call me almost every Tuesday. I am the 2nd child out of 5 siblings, and Tuesday is the 2nd day of the workweek…so that explains that. I LOVE our phone chats. They are usually short, and sweet, and full of estrogen. ;)

25. Um, how do I end this thing? How about, if you’ve actually read this entire novel, drop me an email. And I will take you out for coffee to thank you for being so sweet and spending your time getting to know me! Seriously…it’ll be my treat! xoxo